Jun 23, 2012

the new brows.

after my last "comeback" a few readers have noticed that my brows look different now, so i planned to share my new brow routine and some mini reviews regarding this topic.
here is my former brow tutorial - click! - my philosophy about them still remained the same: rather thick and bushy, not to draw beyond the outlines too much and a natural shape.
however, i have added an extra step to my routine which i think makes them look more sharp but natural at the same time, thus i want to share it with you.
i managed to grow my brows (as previously intended) more straight and much less arched than before, i still need to work on the length. i admit that it's much straighter than i initially wanted, but as i embraced the korean "ulzzang" look since last winter, i aimed for the very straight and quite thick brow. i find that it gives me a softer look, brighter and more youthful.

this is how my brows were last year, medium thickness, quite arched, for my taste too short at the front.

growing out the arch back to a straight line was the hardest part of this project (plus realising that my face is a lot more asymmetrical than i supposed - that's what made it even harder). after many years of plucking underneath the arch to get a neat curve, the hairs don't want to grow back anymore, especially not in the right directions - i'm actually still in the process to get more fullness in this area.
i have to admit that, contradictive to my previous statements, i went and trimmed my brows. they grew so stubborn and messy that i was pissed off enough to let the scissors speak. well, it did look very very weird, i disliked it. but i still trim the too long hairs at the very start since i prefer to brush this part upwards now rather than sideways like before.

so this is what i do:

step1

here you can see my bare brows, at the moment the left side is a lot nicer than the right, but i feel like this changes periodically (about once a year it will turn the opposite way).
you can see the hairs are still quite sparse where formerly the arch of the brow was and how they grow quite messily in this area. here i just try to brush them into nice shape and clear the ground and the hairs from excess foundation and powder with a simple spooley wand (#1 in the top pic)

just with foundation on - i think my face looks quite "undone" with naked brows, i find nice brows make such a difference even though everything else is left bare.

step2

now i'd use brow powder or a brow pencil to have a base shading. these days i favour the Shu Uemura Hard Formula Brow Pencil in 02 Seal Brown when it comes to pencil form (will review it later), but more often i use a brow powder.

my brush of choice is the Louise Young L31 Angled Brow Sable (#3 in top picture). it's densely packed, evenly shaped and has a nice flexibility that still lets you get the right curve even though it's moderately firm. picks up the product nicely and dispenses it evenly. i never pay much attention to brow brushes, but am slightly intrigued to try out the Chikuhodo Z6 or a RMK one...

MAC Copperplate - MAC Omega

as brow powder, i alternate between two MAC eyeshadows: Copperplate for a distinct look or Omega for a softer, warmer brow. i much prefer the Matte² texture of Copperplate, Omega is quite hard and has very poor pay off - can you recommend a similar lightish colour from another brand with a bettter quality?

swatched: MAC Copperplate - MAC Omega

today we're working with Copperplate (#2 in top pic): i start at the outer 2/3 of the bottom line and fill in the desired shape and prepare the sharp tail that my natural brows don't have. i would concentrate the saturation in this outer area and only gradually shade in the front for a more authentic appearance. then go over the brow with the spooley again or a MAC 219/medium stiff pencil brush to smudge the colour evenly into the skin.

if i'm in a rush, i could leave it at that, it already looks much neater than without any shape at all.

step3

key product in this step is a liquid brow pen, i was inspired by the fabulous Lisa Eldridge who often uses the SUQQU Brow Pen. the one it have is a cheaper and more widely available alternative: the K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Real Lasting Eyebrow (#4 in top pic).

i chose shade 02 Grayish Brown, i think it's darker and more ashy than shade 01. i'd recommend the ashier colour for people with undyed natural black hair. this pen contains liquid ink and has a brush tip which is wide and flat. the synthetic fibres are dense and stiff. the brush tip creates very fine lines of a diluted dark taupe colour. i use it with a light hand in short and fine strokes to create the illusion of brow hairs where there are none. needs some practicing, but it's better to only draw in fine "hairs" than
to cover the whole brow shape in a solid colour with these pens since
you want to fake a full natural brow and not a tattooed one!
i especially like that the ink is very light and the tip is so precise, it delivers a much more natural result than the darker, more intense liquid versions (for example by Gosh or Anastasia etc.) or classic brow pencils. the staying power is phenomenal, even on my quite oily summer skin it looks just like freshly applied even after the whole day.
you can find this on ebay, it costs about 20$ with shipping. i've been using mine for over 6 months now and it still goes strong.

i'd concentrate my strokes on the sparse areas and where my brow hairs are too thin, that's on the arch area and in the front. it adds more structure and definition to my brows compared to just powder alone.

step4

to round it up i use a coloured brow gel. i use one by P2, it's a back up of a discontinued product. my brows are so stubborn that i rather want to enhance the existing brow hairs (especially at the front) than to glue them into a particular shape.
here is the final result:

i thought it was an accidental new style when i first read your comment, but then i looked on your blog and i really like it! i had a brow styling like this about 10 years ago in my home country, i was scared and impressed at the same time about how dangerous it looked but how quick and nice the result was!

when i was a kid, my brows were quite straight, too. but years and years of plucking into an arched shape made them really hard to grow back.i hope i could transfer some love for straight brows to you ;)

Growing in my brows may be the single best thing I did last year--or was it two years ago? It took a long time, so I'm not sure. Like you, I'd been plucking in an arch, which took a lot of product to maintain because, like you, my hairs wouldn't grow neatly in the same direction. Now, I pluck only the hairs that grow in an awkward angle. Allowing them to be fuller and straighter helped them become much more uniform; I don't even have to fill them in if I'm in a hurry.

haha, thank you, Becca! i think brows are so important in our face. i always paid much more attention to eyeshadow, but now i'm certain that eyes only need lash-definition to look good and not always a complex eyeshadow look, while if you do your brows nicely you look much neater.

Again, such a great post! You always put so much effort in!I used MAC Omega also, but like you I wasn't so happy with it. I switched to Anastasia Brow powder in Medium Ash. I like the payoff and the staying power. I both use both shades, depending in "brow-intensity" I going for.All the best, Luli

thank you for your appreciation! i just looked up the Anastasia Brow Powder, especially the light shade in this duo looks really promising. thank you for recommending! i will try to find a source for Anastasia products ;)

I've been using the same eyebrow pen for a couple of months and I also love it! I typically use it to first fill in sparse areas and define my tails, brush through with a spoolie, them lightly apply my Lioele auto brow pencil (shade grey-black) to tweak my brow colour, and finish with my spoolie once more. I might try using Copperplate instead of the Lioele, but I really like the wear time of my current combination.

I like your new brows. I'm curious how it looks overall; would you mind sharing a full face photo?

Off topic, but we were "talking" on your blush post and you recommended the RMK blush brush. I took a leap of faith and ordered it...a little scary, never did an international order before. Took 2 weeks to arrive, but WOW, I love it. Total perfection, exactly the brush and the effect I wanted!!!

Next wish...the perfect powder brush. I been using the Hakuhodo 210 that I didn't like for blush. On her blog, Dain has recommended the Hakuhodo Kokutan S Blush Brush for powder. Are you familiar with these and how they compare? Hakuhodo would be an easier order this time.

Congrats on your degree! I do hope you keep blogging, you are a favorite. Maybe you could do a post on your favorite brushes for different purposes. I've read your other brush posts but don't think you've listed by function unless I missed it!

wow, i'm super happy that you like the brush! i haven't tried the Kokutan S Blush Brush yet, i think it's made with a blend of squirrel hair with synthetic bristles. it should be soft and resilient at the same time, so i think it will be very nice for face powder especially if you like a small brush. i am happy with my Chikuhodo Z1&Z9 and Suqqu Powder Brush at the moment, they are so lush that i don't want to go back to the very small versions for now ;PThank you for the congratulation, i'm happy that you like my blog and i hope to be able to continue blogging ;)

i have done one or two favourite-brushes-posts before, the last one being my top picks for 2011: http://delicatehummingbird.blogspot.de/2011/12/2011-these-brushes-tools-were-bomb.html

i will do a new one soon since i feel like my brush collection is quite complete now with only few open wishes :)

A recommendation for your brow color - I have similar coloring - I use Bobbi Brown Flint e/s for shading, I find it's very natural but not too ashy or too brown/red.

I also don't know if it's available in Europe - but if you can get your hands on Lise Watier Brow Compact - 02 Brunes (on eBay perhaps, it's a Canadian company) it's very handy and has two shades that you can mix for custom brow filling (1 brown, 1 gray).

Also, I have to say - I've been lurking your blog awhile now, and I love your blush reviews :)

thank you for your recommendation! i will look into the matte BB shades, i heard they were great. i tried some shimmery e/s from her and wasn't impressed at all. Lise Watier also does so many interesting products, too bad it's not available here.

I really like your brow routine. Brows are so important! they deserve attention. My routine though is pretty essential: I use Mac eye brows in Strut (I'me brunette with henna hair) and I love it so much! Otherwise I use a matte cooler brown eyeshadow from an Italian brand, Madina Milano :)

i never tried any of MAC's brow products. their pencil in Fling is so popular as well as their coloured brow gels. however i once swatched a brow pencil and i found its lead to be too soft, waxy and pigmented for my liking. thank you for the insight, though!

wow!! i am super impressed - what a subtle but major difference!! i am dying to grow my eyebrows thicker and straighter (thanks to all my japanese magazines!!) but so hard to grow out the brows >>.<< great tips though, you've really motived me =)